Israel celebrates Gilad Shalit deal, but there is a price for his freedom

Israel is to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners from its jails as
part of a historic deal to win the freedom of Gilad Shalit, the Jewish
soldier whose abduction by militants from Gaza five years ago traumatised a
nation.

The breakthrough that will lead to the most significant prisoner swap in the recent history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was as dramatic as it was unexpected.

For three days Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, held emergency cabinet sessions that lasted long into the night to persuade ministers of the merits of a deal that will cause both jubilation and controversy among his countrymen.

Late on Tuesday night, he emerged triumphantly to announce he had the support he needed to bring the young conscript home.

"If all goes according to plan, Gilad will be returning to Israel in the coming days," he said.

Mr Netanyahu also rang Mr Shalit's parents Noam and Aviva to give them the news. It was, he said, a telephone call he has been wanting to make ever since he took office three years ago.

For the vast majority of Israelis, the deal will prompt rejoicing, relief and catharsis in equal measure. No single recent issue has seared the collective consciousness of the Israeli public in quite the same manner as the plight of the young soldier. In a country where conscription is mandatory, his fate represented the worst nightmare of many parents and there was huge domestic pressure to bring him home – whatever the price.

Noam and Aviva Shalit kept the nation's attention focused on their son by maintaining a tented and highly visible vigil outside Mr Netanyahu's office for years. Haunting photos of the soldier in his army uniform were a ubiquitous reminder for many Israelis of a young man – now 25 – abandoned by his government as his life withered away at the hands of cruel captors who held him in solitary confinement in a series of underground cells.

But amid the relief that his ordeal is over, there were already questions in Israel over the price that Hamas has exacted.

Of the 1,100 Palestinians who it is understood will be released, more than 300 are serving life sentences, many for their purported role in attacks on Israeli civilians during the second Palestinian Intifada that erupted in 2000.

There is no doubt that the prisoner swap will be a major boost to Hamas, Israel's sworn enemy. At least 15 high-profile prisoners are thought to be included in the deal, most of them figures of considerable political stature whose release will be celebrated on the Palestinian street with Hamas able to take the credit.

Palestinian officials said that Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Sa'adat, two highly popular leaders accused of orchestrating terror attacks, were among those to be freed – although the claims were denied in Israel.

The breakthrough came at a time when Hamas was in danger of being overshadowed by its rivals Fatah, the moderate group led by Mahmoud Abbas, which has soared in popular opinion because of its attempt to win UN backing for Palestinian statehood.

Khaled Meshaal, the exiled political leader of Hamas, called the deal a "national achievement" as he once again sought to present himself as the true leader of the Palestinian people.

On the Israeli right, there were accusations that Mr Netanyahu had played into the hands of his enemies.

The Land of Israel, a right-wing group in the Israeli parliament, said the deal amounted to "capitulation to terror groups". There is likely to be outrage among families who lost relatives in suicide bombings as well.

But the Israeli government said it had been left with no choice amid fears that, in the wake of the Arab Spring, regional governments would become increasingly radical and press Hamas to keep Mr Shalit a prisoner.

Mr Netanyahu reportedly told ministers that a failure to reach a deal now could have left the soldier in captivity for years to come.

"I believe we have reached the best agreement possible at this time when storms are raging in the Middle East," he said in an address on state television. "I don't know if we could have reached a better agreement, or even achieved one at all, in the near future.

"It's possible that this window of opportunity would have closed for good and we would never have brought Gilad home."

With elections due to be held in both Israel and the Palestinian territories next year, both Mr Netanyahu's Likud party and Hamas know they stand to make considerable capital as a result of the deal.

But, beyond improving the climate between the two sides in the conflict, it is not thought that Mr Shalit's release will have much impact on the peace process.

While the deal will heighten pressure from some moderates in Israel to begin direct political negotiations with Hamas, such calls are almost certain to be rejected by Mr Netanyahu's right-wing government.

Mr Shalit's release was welcomed in Western governments.

"Holding him in captivity has been utterly unjustified from the beginning and yet it has gone on for five long years," William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said.

"We have always called for his unconditional release. We are pleased that this long overdue development is finally taking place."